Giving Up Control
The prophet Isaiah proclaims to God that “we are the clay, You are the potter; we are all the work of Your hand” (Isa. 64:8). I envision myself on a potter’s wheel with God trying to shape me into something magnificent. However, because I can’t see what He is making and I don’t enjoy the shaping process, I am like clay that somehow manages to climb off the wheel. In doing that, I become just a blob of clay on the table. And yet, I then complain about the fact that I am a blob. And of course, I blame God.
We are encouraged to consider it joy when we face trials because they actually test our faith, which produces perseverance, which in turn produces character, which leads to hope (see James 1:2; Rom. 5:4). In the middle of difficulties it is very easy to forget that one of God’s purposes for us is to shape our character. And yet, we fight God for control.I love the following quote by Nicole Kidman to Tom Cruise in the movie Days of Thunder: “Control is an illusion, you infantile egomaniac! Nobody knows what’s going to happen next.... Nobody controls anything. Now you’ve gotten a glimpse of that and you’re scared.” Her quote is so profoundly true. And yet, I make my plans, I schedule my vacations, I fill slots in my appointment schedule, I speak about the future as though I were in control because...I have to confess, it is because I like the illusion. But if I am truly going to trust the One who made me to direct and bless my life, I have got to stay on that potter’s wheel. God’s instructions promise that if I will cling to Him and His Word, I will “produce much fruit.” But apart from Him, the results of my efforts are likely to be meager (see John 15:5). C. S. Lewis writes, “It would seem that our Lord finds our desires not too strong, but too weak. We are halfhearted creatures, fooling about with drink and sex and ambition when infinite joy is offered us, like an ignorant child who wants to go on making mud pies in a slum because he cannot imagine what is meant by the offer of a holiday at the sea. We are far too easily pleased.” He goes on to say in another work, “The more we get what we now call ‘ourselves’ out of the way and let Him take us over, the more truly ourselves we become.”
I fully realize that we have all experienced situations that just don’t make sense—logically, humanly. We may have had friends or family betray us, finances fall apart, cars break down, you fill in the blank. Stuff happens that overwhelms us. We just don’t get it. But God does.
Sometimes those difficult circumstances will make sense tomorrow, or next month, or next year, or perhaps not until we cross over to the other side of eternity. God is not limited to our time-framed existence. He is able to see all of the chronological scenes of our lives as...now. And He knows what is going on and why. It is my choice whether I want to connect and anchor myself to the God who made me or whether I want to crawl off the potter’s wheel and take my chances on my own. But I must admit—as a lump of clay on the table, I don’t do very well.So what could life look like if I turned over the steering wheel of my life and let God drive? Giving up control to Him doesn’t mean that I am released from responsibility, that I have no interests in the day-to-day activities of life. It actually leads to the exact opposite. If I began to live—to think, feel, and act as though God is in control of my life—how different might it look? I like the words of Charles Swindoll: “If you and I genuinely believed the promises of God, we would not have worried this past week as we have worried. We would not have tried to shoulder that enormous load that is beyond our ability to carry. We would not have rationalized wrong or made up excuses to cover our tracks." He proceeds to ask: “Do you realize what a peaceful life you can live if you decide to live like this? Do you realize how relaxed you can be, how free of stress? Honestly. It is so helpful for me to remind myself: He is the One who is unfathomable. He is unsearchable. I’m neither.” If I am willing to walk with God with unwavering trust, I will be able to live my purpose out under any circumstances. In his book The God-Powered Life, Rabbi Aaron sheds light on this way of thinking:
"There is nothing to look forward to in the future that this moment cannot offer you. You can serve the great [God] now and in any situation. When you are breaking up with your boyfriend or girlfriend, you can serve God by expressing understanding, compassion, and truth. When you are losing your job, you can serve God by showing love and accepting justice. When you are giving birth, you can serve God by knowing that you are bringing life into the world. If you are single or you are married, you can serve God right now. Do you think that you can serve God better when you’re married than when you are single? If right now you are single, this is how you are supposed to serve God. Happiness is a choice available to us all because in whatever situation we find ourselves, we can choose to be of service and channel the presence of God into the here and now. Every day of our life can be purposeful and meaningful, passionately doing good and spreading love."
While our circumstances are not always pleasant (sometimes they are beyond miserable), we have a choice whether we allow them to bury us or not. Yes, we can let them fall on us and crush us or, author Kenneth Wood suggests, we can climb up on top of the pile.
It will give us a better vantage point on our life. The choice of perspective is ours.The apostle Paul encourages us to do everything without grumbling and complaining and make a decision to work at whatever it is we are doing, not as though we are doing it to please some person, but as though we are working for the Lord (see Phil. 2:14; Col. 3:23).Giving up control and trusting our present as well as our future with a God we can’t presently see is easier said than done. But it is essential if we are to move from where we are to where we hope to be. It is not a simple flip of the switch though. It is a day-by-day decision—and, without a doubt, some days are easier than others.